Spatial Techniques for Soil Erosion Estimation

Abstract

Soil is an essential resource for human livelihoods. Soil erosion is now a global environmental crisis that threatens the natural environment and agriculture. This study aimed to assess the annual rate of soil erosion using distributed information for topography, land use, and soil, with a Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) approach and comparison of simulated with observed sediment loss. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) with RS and GIS was used to predict the spatial distribution of soil erosion occurring in the study area on a grid-cell basis. Thematic maps of rainfall erosivity factor (R), soil erodibility factor (K), topographic factor (LS), crop/cover management factor (C), and conservation/support practice factor (P) were prepared using annual rainfall data, soil map, Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and an executable C++ program, and a satellite image of the study area in the GIS environment. This study put emphasis on the use of C++ program for the digital estimation of topographic factor (LS).